St. Margaret's Sermon Archive
Pentecost 11 - Rev. Susan N. Blue - 8/12/07
"…cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."(Isaiah 1:16b-17)
"…Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."(Luke 12:33 & 34; 40)
Last week we heard about the fate of the wealthy farmer who, after an abundant harvest sought to store up his bounty in additional barns, not understanding what the Kingdom of God would require of him. This week's lessons make that much more explicit. One could misread the gospels to understand that to do God's will we must give up every treasure in our lives as the Kingdom is coming soon. Now, I am not into the "rapture" and really have no idea what the "second coming" means. But I am intrigued, as are Barbara Brown Taylor and Barbara Crafton, by the whole idea of "coming." I believe that the Kingdom of God is right now, among us…for the Kingdom is present whenever we are doing God's will. Each of us, if we pay attention, can point to examples of that. Jesus proclaimed that the most important thing we could do was to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We are told to be ready – and what in the world does that mean? I would suggest that God loves all of us abundantly, and wants us to have what we need to live life well in accordance with God's will. Jesus said: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is God's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." I believe that, in the kingdom, we will all have "enough," not only of wealth and stuff, but of all the important treasures of the world. Brian Stoffregen, in his Exegetical Notes for "Illustrations" says: "Note also that in the first century it was believed that there was a fixed and limited amount of wealth. If someone gained wealth, someone else had to lose it. They didn't believe in everyone becoming wealthier. Malina and Rohbaugh (Social –Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels) state: 'Acquisition was always considered stealing.' So, if the poor were to escape their poverty, it would have to come from the wealthy sharing their possessions. In essence, the wealthy would have to become poorer if the poor were to gain some wealth."
Wealth can be understood as much broader than money or possessions. I would suggest that many of us who are older have a wealth of wisdom to share with the young. Those of us who are fortunate to have love in our lives have an abundance to share with others. Those of us who have a wealth of compassion have much to share with those who are hurting and needy. Those of who are healthy have energy to reach out to those who are not. Those who are courageous, have leadership to share with those who are timid.
This week, on Tuesday, we remember Jonathan Daniels, The twenty-six year old Episcopal seminarian who was killed, taking a bullet intended for a young black woman, Ruby Sales, shot by deputy sheriff, Tom Coleman during the height of the Civil Rights movement in 1965. His spontaneous action, as his involvement in the civil rights movement, emerged not from a rigid earning of the kingdom, but of deeply rooted faith grounded in the love command.
It is implicit in all of Jesus' sayings, we ARE our brother's and sister's keepers – we must be if we want to live in a world in which God's will is done. We must learn to share our time, our gifts, and our treasure. We do so not with a rigid belief that is riddled with 'shoulds' and 'oughts' but one that is open, trusting and grounded in the faith described by our lesson from the unknown writer of the letter to the Hebrews: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen…" (Hebrews 11:1) Life will not always be easy. We too, at times, will wonder where God is in our lives as we desperately need the treasures others seem to possess. The promise has never been that we can earn or deserve "the good life." The promise is that God will never leave us, that we are loved with abundance, that God delights in each of us and celebrates our creation.
Let each of us spend time during these lazy, hot days of August, in thanksgiving for the many treasures we have. Then, think about how we might share these treasures in our desperately needy and hurting world. AMEN
"…Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."(Luke 12:33 & 34; 40)
Last week we heard about the fate of the wealthy farmer who, after an abundant harvest sought to store up his bounty in additional barns, not understanding what the Kingdom of God would require of him. This week's lessons make that much more explicit. One could misread the gospels to understand that to do God's will we must give up every treasure in our lives as the Kingdom is coming soon. Now, I am not into the "rapture" and really have no idea what the "second coming" means. But I am intrigued, as are Barbara Brown Taylor and Barbara Crafton, by the whole idea of "coming." I believe that the Kingdom of God is right now, among us…for the Kingdom is present whenever we are doing God's will. Each of us, if we pay attention, can point to examples of that. Jesus proclaimed that the most important thing we could do was to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We are told to be ready – and what in the world does that mean? I would suggest that God loves all of us abundantly, and wants us to have what we need to live life well in accordance with God's will. Jesus said: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is God's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." I believe that, in the kingdom, we will all have "enough," not only of wealth and stuff, but of all the important treasures of the world. Brian Stoffregen, in his Exegetical Notes for "Illustrations" says: "Note also that in the first century it was believed that there was a fixed and limited amount of wealth. If someone gained wealth, someone else had to lose it. They didn't believe in everyone becoming wealthier. Malina and Rohbaugh (Social –Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels) state: 'Acquisition was always considered stealing.' So, if the poor were to escape their poverty, it would have to come from the wealthy sharing their possessions. In essence, the wealthy would have to become poorer if the poor were to gain some wealth."
Wealth can be understood as much broader than money or possessions. I would suggest that many of us who are older have a wealth of wisdom to share with the young. Those of us who are fortunate to have love in our lives have an abundance to share with others. Those of us who have a wealth of compassion have much to share with those who are hurting and needy. Those of who are healthy have energy to reach out to those who are not. Those who are courageous, have leadership to share with those who are timid.
This week, on Tuesday, we remember Jonathan Daniels, The twenty-six year old Episcopal seminarian who was killed, taking a bullet intended for a young black woman, Ruby Sales, shot by deputy sheriff, Tom Coleman during the height of the Civil Rights movement in 1965. His spontaneous action, as his involvement in the civil rights movement, emerged not from a rigid earning of the kingdom, but of deeply rooted faith grounded in the love command.
It is implicit in all of Jesus' sayings, we ARE our brother's and sister's keepers – we must be if we want to live in a world in which God's will is done. We must learn to share our time, our gifts, and our treasure. We do so not with a rigid belief that is riddled with 'shoulds' and 'oughts' but one that is open, trusting and grounded in the faith described by our lesson from the unknown writer of the letter to the Hebrews: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen…" (Hebrews 11:1) Life will not always be easy. We too, at times, will wonder where God is in our lives as we desperately need the treasures others seem to possess. The promise has never been that we can earn or deserve "the good life." The promise is that God will never leave us, that we are loved with abundance, that God delights in each of us and celebrates our creation.
Let each of us spend time during these lazy, hot days of August, in thanksgiving for the many treasures we have. Then, think about how we might share these treasures in our desperately needy and hurting world. AMEN